Suction cleaner



c. H. sPARKLlN 2,243,985

SUCTION CLEANER June 3, 1941.

Filed Feb. 1o. 1939 :s sheets-Sheet 1 June 3, 1941. Q H, sPARKLlN2,243,985

SUCTION CLEANER Filed Feb. 10,1939- 3 sheets-sheet 2.

June 3, .1941. c. H. sPARKLlN SUCTION CLEANER Filed Feb. 10, 1939 3Sheets-Sheet 5 Athe handle is released or not.

' Patented-June 3, 1941 ICE 2.243.985 SUC'EION CLEANER.

ohm n. swims, cnam. ni., minor to' Birtman Electric Company, Chicago,lll.. a corporation of Iliinois Application February 10, 1939, SerialNo. 255,782

iClaim.

cleaned. This does not damage the'earpet. how' ever, as long as thecleaner is kept in motion 'or not allowed to remain in one [place fortoo long a time. It has happened, however, that the operator has beencalled away from her work -by a telephone call or other interruption andinedvertently left the cleanerstanding in one place with the currentturned on. When this has happened, the engagement of the rotating brushwith the carpet in .one spot for such a long time has caused undesirablewear and damage to the such an occurrence.

The principal feature of my invention is the provision of means forlifting the .nozzle and consequently the brush inside, out of contactwith the material being cleaned, whenever the cleaner is leitunattended. This `raisingof the nozzle is automatic and is caused by theweight of the handle when the latter is released.

Another feature of my invention is the provision of means for causingthe weight of the dust bag with a predetermined amount of dirt thereinto lift the nozzle, as described above, whether This makes the cleanerinoperative when thel dust bag has recelved an accumulation of apredetermined amount of dirt and operates as a signaL'showing that thebag needs emptying. I preferably provide so that either the weight ofthe handleor the dust bag with a predetermined 'amount of dirt thereinwill lift the nozzle.

Other features and advantages will appear more fully as I proceed withmy specication. In that form of device embodyingthe features of myinvention. shown in the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a view inslde'elevation: Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view; F153 is a view similar toFig. 1 showing the nozzle inaflowered position; Fig. 4 is a view similarto Fig. 1 showing the cleaner operating on a carpet Fig. 5 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 4 showing the cleaner on the same carpet with the handlereleased and the current still turned on. the weight of the handle aloneraising the nozzle from contact with the carpet;

carpet. My improvement is designed to prevent and Fig. 6 is a similarview showing the handle in operating position lbut showing the weight ofan accumulation of dirt in the bag raising the nozzle. ,Y

As shown in the drawings, Il indicates a inotor casing, II the usual fancasing; I2 the nozzle, and I3 a motor-driven brush in the homie. As hereshown, the motor casing. fan casing, and homie are. made in one unit.I5. I5 indicate two supporting wheels with aligned axes placed somedistance bwk of the nozzle. 'The unit, in cluding the motorcaslng, fancasing and nomle, is piviotally mounted on the supporting wheels ISfIbymeans of the'stub axlesll, Il secured to the plates I1 carried by theunit.' The nozzle I2 is vertically movable with respect to the surfacebeing cleaned. This is accomplished by pivotally supporting the unitincluding -the motor casingffan casing and nozzle, on the wheels I5which lie rearwardly of the nozzle. This pivoting permits the nozzle atthe forward end of the cleaner to be moved upwardly and down- Waldly., 1

The stub axles Il, I6 are'so located that the nozzle is substantiallycounterbalanoed 'but preferably so that it will .normally tend to rockdownwardly.

'I'he two wide rollers 26,4 26 form the nozzle support. These rollersare wide enough so that they will ride more or less on the surface ofthick carpet and, consequently. elevate the nozzle.A ForV example, asshown in Fig. 4.the surface being cleaned is indicated hyrather thickcarpet. The topmost surface of this carpet is indicated by 21. As hereshown, the rollers 2i have sunk downiinto the carpet to some extent:that is, to the level oi' the line indicated byv 27a; but they have not.sunk down as llow as the wheels I5 which are at the level of the line21h which may -be very near the bottom suriace of the thick carpet.

The cleaner is shown in Fig.. 3 as operating on a hard floor 28 and herethe rollers 28 naturally-rest at the same level 'as the 'wheels It anditwill be seen that the nozzle consequently is also lowered.

The rollers 26 are wide enough to thus suppofrt the nozzle aslightvdistance, above the surface of the material being cleanedregardless of its character and regardless of the degree of sink of thesupporting wheels I i into the material being cleaned.

3l indicates a rear wheel carried by the unit acting as a stop to limitvthe rearward pivoting of the cleaner and thus limit the upward move- 2ment of the nozzle.v This stop'is desirable to prevent the nozzle frombeing r-'aisedunnecessarily high when it is elevated to move the machinefrom one rug to another or to lavoid engagement with the fringe at theedge of a rug.

With the construction shown the rollers 26 provide additionalsupportingmeans for the nozzle or means limiting the downward movement of thenoz'zle operative especially whenthecleaner is in operation. They areadapted to float or,

ride substantially onthe surface of the material being cleaned. Withthis construction the nozzle is, the nozzle and the motor casing withthe motor inside, and f-an casing, are formed as a unit as is customarywith portable suction cleaners, and the entire -unit is carried by thetwo wheels The unit, however, is pivotally mounted on the,rv

wheels as explained above so that the nozzle itself is verticallymovable with respect to the surface being cleaned. The nozzle supportingmeans, therefore, in the form of the rollers 26, 26, act to limitdownward movement of the nozzle, particularly under suction. Thissupport for Vthe nozzel is obtained by the-rollers floating or rollingsubstantially on the Asurface of the carpet.` In using the word carpet Imean to indicate any surface being cleaned.

The rollers 26, v2li will sinke into the carpet only to a very smallextent, if at all; and not nearly as much into soft carpet as thesupporting wheels I5, I5. -Being in the form of rollersl they will slideeasily over the surface of the carpet and thus lessen the friction. Therollers preferably have considerable width, thus giving at least a linecontact of considerable length and in all probability a surface contactof considerable area; thus preventing the rollers from sinking into thesurface of even soft thick carpets to any great extent. By surface ismeant the very top of the carpet. It is contemplated that the rollerswill rest substantially on the upper ends of the threads forming thepile of a thick carpet without bending them over or crushing them downto any considerable extent.

It is realized, of course, that even withvide rollers Ithe same willsink into a soft carpet to some extent, and thereforefl have placed therollers at such height that even when they thus sink into ,the surfaceto some extent, as shown in Fig. 4i thev nozzle will still be heldslightly above the surface. This construction may be made as desired.For example, the parts can be so made that the nozzle will just llie incontact with the surface before or after suction or even be drawn moreor less tightly against the surface or into it under the force ofsuction. As shown in the drawings, the construction may be so that thenozzle:vv I2 lies slightly above the surface when there is no suction.In such case suotion may draw the carpet up slightly to cause contactbetween the nozzle and the carpet, as ,shown I 1 50 indicates the bailof the handle 50' pivoted to the cleaner atvthe points 5I, 5I. Ihe pivotpoints 5I, 5I are preferably so located that foro ward and backwardmovement and acceleration imparted to the cleaner by the handle will notcause undue rocking of the cleaner on the wheels 2 I5. That is. theresistance caused by the weight of the parts below the pivot points 5I,5I, and

the friction of the wheels I5, is balanced against the r ce caused bythe weight of the parts above the points 5I, 5I, so thatpressure on thepivot points 5I, 5Ik by the handle in operating the cleaner backwardlyand forwardly will not cause undue pivoting on the wheels I5, andtherefore will not unduly affect the vertical movement of the nozzle I2.In speaking of the resistance offered by the weight of the parts, Irefer to the inertia offthe same. In order to prevent undue rocking,vthe pivot points 5I are preferably placed so that when the handle is inthe normal operating position as indicated by the line 53, the lineofforce, extended below the pivot points, will lie in front of the wheelsI5. It is here shown as intersecting the carpet substantially where therollers 26 lie.

52 indicates the dust or dirt bag for the cleaner .with its' lower endattached to the outlet 54 of the fan easing in` the usual manner. Theunit is so balanced upon the wheels I5, however, that the weight of apredetermined amount of dirt in the bag 52 with the weight of the bagitself will serve to rock the unit backwardly' as shown in Fig. 6 andthus elevate the nozzle and remove the brush I3 from contact with thecarpet.

55 indicates a stop for the handle 50' adapted to hold the samesubstantially in horizontal position when released, as shown in Fig. 5.There is a stop55 on each side of the'fan casing engaged by the bail 5l.The handle is of sufficient length and weight so that when it isreleased and lies back against the stops 55 it will cause the cleaner torock backwardly on the wheels I5 and lift the nozzle and brush I3 fromengagement with the material being cleaned, as shown in Fig.

5. This will occur even if the current remains turned on.

As shown in Fig. 4, in normal operation the suction may operate to raisethe carpet slightly into contact with the nozzle and brush. When thecarpet is thus in contact with the nozzle it will be seen that thesuction will also tend to hold the nozzle in contact with thecarpet,.either by holding the nozzle down, or lifting the carpet, orboth. In other words. the suction causes more or less ofY a" sealbetween the carpet and the nozzle that must be broken before the nozzlecan be raised. This seal, however, varies under difierent conditions.required lto break it than in others. It is contemplated that the weightf the predetermined amount of dirt in the dust ba'g with the weight Ybreak any seal that there might be, as just described.

It is to be particularly noted that Athe weight of the handle alone inreleased position is suicient to elevate the nozzle. Likewise, theweight of the dust bag with a predetermined amount of dirt therein aloneis preferably sufllcient to elevate the nozzle whether the handle is inreleased position or not.

It will be seen that the wheels I5 furnish the main support or carriagefor the cleaner proper.

In some cases, more force is'v That is. they take most of the weight;and therefore may be referred to a's the main supporting means. 'I'hewide rollers 26, 26 may be referred to as the nozzle supporting means.

While there are shown and described certain embodiments of theinvention, it isrto be under'- stood that it is capable of manymodifications.

Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdisclosed in the appended claim, in which it is intended to claim allnovelty inherent in the invention as broadly as permissible, in view ofthe prior art.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

A suction cleaner of the character described, including: a casing havinga downwardly opening nozzle at the forward end thereof; suction meansconnected to the nozzle; a rotatable cleaning member in the nozzlenormally in contact with` the material being cleaned; a motor in thecas-` ing for rotating the rotatable cleaning member; a handle pivotallyattached to the casing and adapted to extend upwardly and rearwardlytherefrom during normal-usage of the cleaner; a pair of main supportingwheels on which the casing is mounted, said wheels being only slightlyto the rearof the center of gravity of the cleaner in normal usage;forward-supporting means for normally maintaining the nozzle in proper4operative relation to the surface being cleaned; stop means on thecasing engaged by the handleupon rearward and downward movement beyondthat to be expected ln normal usage, the weight of the otherwiseunsupported handle when in en'- gagement with the. stop-means beingsufficient to shift the centerof gravity to the rear of the mainsupporting Wheels, whereby releasing the liandle automaticallyl causesthe cleaner to pivot about the axis of said wheels to elevate the nozzleand lift the rotatable cleaning member from contact with the materialbeing cleaned; and rear supporting means normally spaced from saidsurface but adaptedA to engage it to support the cleaner )in positionwith the nozzle elevated.

v CHARLES H. SPARKLIN.

